I discovered Kampung Numbak using Wikimapia, a mash up of Google Maps and Wikipedia, while staying at 1Borneo, a megamall on the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah. After finding it online I decided to pay Numbak a visit. There was something very strange about the juxtaposition of Borneo’s biggest mall and this impoverished village of 5,000 a stone’s throw away.

Here is the final gallery featuring photos from Tanjung Simpang Mengayau, the northernmost tip of Borneo, in Kudat. All of these shots were captured on Pantai Avoi with the exception of the last photo which was shot on the road heading back to Pantai Kalampunian.

This is the second of three galleries featuring photographs captured near Tanjung Simpang Mengayau, the northernmost tip of Borneo, in the state of Sabah, Malaysia. All of these were shot on Pantai Kalampunian, the beach on the western side of the tip along the South China Sea.

The first of three galleries showing off the natural beauty of Tanjung Simpang Mengayau in Kudat, the northernmost tip of Borneo, in the state of Sabah, Malaysia.

Vancouver recently lay under cover of fog for days. This prompted me to grab my camera to find out what could be captured of such mysterious atmospheric conditions. I ventured out into Stanley Park with a tripod one night only to discover that there really isn’t any light to work with. I couldn’t discern the skyline through the thick mire. In fact, I could hardly even see a few meters in front of me. I called that mission off and headed out the next day over Burrard Bridge, around False Creek, and back to the West End by way of Gastown. This time I did not bring a tripod—hence the grainy quality of some of these later photos, all of which were shot by hand with a fixed 35mm lens.

I met up with an old friend to hit the road in search of adventure today. And so we crossed the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge to the North Shore. We stopped in some random industrial area just off the Dollarton Highway then proceeded to Cates Park before entering Deep Cove. I figured it would be picturesque. Instead it was kind of dull and vaguely unwelcoming. We forged ahead to North Woodlands, which I only knew about from messing around with Google Maps. Turns out this remote community was even less welcoming than Deep Cove—virtually every vantage point was blocked by private homes. We snapped a few photos from the wharf and called it a day.

One of the pleasures of living in the West End neighbourhood of Vancouver is that I can easily cycle out to Stanley Park and ride the seawall. I have been doing so regularly, several times a month, despite the deepening cold. Wintertime in Vancouver is toothless compared to what I’ve endured for decades in Toronto. I suppose not everyone feels this way, for the seawall—particularly the far side, beyond the bridge—is virtually empty most of the time. I like it that way.

Today I set out for the seawall despite the light dusting of snow on the ground in the West End. I toured the seawall just a few days ago and encountered frost after passing the 9 O’Clock Gun but nothing I saw on that trip prepared me for what I discovered beyond the foot of the Lion’s Gate. Here, rivulets of meltwater cascaded down the cliff-side beneath thick sheets of wind-sculpted ice. Massive icicles dangled precipitously from concave depressions in the rock, occasionally breaking free to clatter down to the thin strip of roadway below.

The murky haze and freezing drizzle made shooting photos somewhat challenging. Then again, grey skies are a blank canvas for a Lightroom ninja like me! All but one of the photos below were shot today. The one exception is the final photograph—I captured that one on my sunset ride a few days ago. It might not fit the theme but I can’t restrain myself from sharing it here—Siwash Rock looks beautiful in the dying light.

Seeking to break up the monotony of the work week I took advantage of a supposedly rare dry spell during the Vancouver wet season to voyage down the Capilano River trails from Cleveland Dam. Access to the park is effortless; a city bus crossing the Lion’s Gate bridge delivered me to the park in less than an hour. The lake you see in the photos below is the source of nearly half of the drinking water in the Vancouver region. Presented below are some of the photos I shot on this brief jaunt to the North Shore.

I recently moved to the West End neighbourhood of Vancouver. Not long after I began taking advantage of the proximity to Stanley Park to engage in a long-standing Vancouver tradition: riding the seawall. Here are a few photos from my first trip around the park.

It rains a lot in Vancouver but I don’t mind. It isn’t great for taking photos (hence all the washed out grey skies) but I enjoy the ambience just the same. Here are a bunch of photos from my wanderings around Mount Pleasant and the False Creek area of Vancouver in the fall of 2012. It may not seem as if this is a beautiful city but it truly is; I just happen to be drawn to the more run-down things I see in my travels.